Thaindian News

United Nations, Oct 22 (IANS) Pakistan narrowly won a hotly-contested seat to the UN Security Council, joining India for a two-year term on the 15-member decision-making organ of the world body. India, which is already serving as a non-permanent member for the 2011-2012 term, is believed to have voted for Pakistan, as their positions are similar on many international issues, except for Kashmir.

Pakistan, which just about scraped through Friday securing 129 out of 193 votes in the UN General Assembly, exactly the two-third majority required to win the seat, begins its two-year term Jan 1, while India’s term ends Dec 31, 2012.

Manjeev Singh Puri, India’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, embraced Haroon after the vote and said that he warmly welcomed the election of Pakistan. “Pakistan and India share common perception on so many global issues, and we look forward to working with them,” Puri said.

Pakistan’s principal opponent in the Asia-Pacific region, Kyrgyzstan, won just 55 votes.

This would be the seventh time Pakistan would serve on the Security Council, and the fourth time its term would overlap with India. India won its latest two-year term by securing a landslide 187 votes.

Pakistan’s ambassador, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, said he expected to work well with his Indian counterpart as he received a congratulatory call from Indian envoy Hardeep Puri while talking to journalists.

“We hope to play our usual role of taking on matters which affect the underdog, so as to speak,” he was quoted as saying by CNN.

With regard to India, Haroon said that both countries “have been beneficial in starting dialogue” and avoiding “usual tendencies.”

The elections replace five of the 10 temporary members of the council every year.

Guatemala ran unopposed and Morocco won easily, but Togo’s victory took three rounds and the fifth seat is still contested.